Tag: Geneva locals

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The Woodward: Geneva’s most luxurious hotel

New: The Woodward Geneva- luxury suites & 2 Michelin star restaurants

Discovering the newly opened luxury hotel in Geneva: The Woodward Suites.

This 5-star hotel is part of the Oetker Collection. It is comprised of a total of 26 exclusive luxury suites & 2 Michelin star restaurants as well as the biggest indoor pool in all of Geneva.

Along with Bella Zofia, I had the pleasure of discovering this beautiful hotel in late December. We started with a tour of the Spa, pool, and gym. Before heading to our bespoke beauty treatments from Guerlain. As you know, I am a big fan of Guerlain beauty so I was very excited about this experience. The treatment was hands down the most wonderful experience I have had at a hotel spa. It stated with a beauty questionnaire so that the beautician could have a background on the areas you wished to focus on. Then I went into a private room complete with en-suite shower, locker room and of course Guerlain cosmetics and the fluffiest bathrobe I have ever used. Once I had been tucked into the ultra cozy SPA bed I did a personalised consultation to decide what would be the best treatment to have. Then we did a scent test where I was asked to choose the perfume that I found most relaxing. This scent was then integrated into the treatment. After the hour facial and beauty treatment the beautician applied Guerlain makeup for me and led me into the Guerlain makeup room. It was like being led into a candy store for someone who is as obsessed with beauty as myself! I then did my makeup before heading up to Le Jardiner with Bella.

We lunched at the new restaurant called Le Jardiner by Michelin-starred Chef Alain Verzeroli and assisted by the chef Olivier Jean. It is a truly unique restaurant in Geneva, serving up dishes that celebrate the finest local ingredients. There are 2 sections to the restaurant each with a slightly different decoration (coté Lausanne where we ate for lunch, & coté Genève which is also featured here). There is also have a private meeting room right next to the restaurant that is ideal for business meetings. The primarily plant-based concept was launched in 2019 in New York by Joël Robuchon and Alain Verzeroli. This is.their first European edition of the concept. All the ingredients on the menu are locally sourced (maximum I50 km from the hotel. The Jardiner focuses primarily on vegetables in each of their dishes, meat and fish are almost incorporated as accompaniments.

To top it off we enjoyed their delicious pastries and had the pleasure to meet famous in-house pastry chef Titouan Clauder.

Lastly, we were given a private tour of the Woodward hotel and I was truly spellbound but their Royal Suite which was splendid, to say the least, and even had a private elevator for maximum privacy.

Designed Pierre-Yves Rochon (Pyr design), the entire hotel was incredibly refined with a quiet luxury appeal that so suits Geneva city.

I very much recommend the Woodward hotel if you visit Geneva. It is an absolutely wonderful place and the Guerlain SPA treatment was certainly one of the best treatments I have had in Switzerland.

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A girly getaway at La Belle Vue Boutique Hotel & Café

A Girly Getaway at La Belle Vue

This weekend was a truly relaxing escape to the Swiss countryside. Bella and I headed to La Belle Vue in Spiez which is a town and municipality on the shore of Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland region in Switzerland. It has a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. The hotel itself is owned by a married couple, Gianluca had always wished to renovate a hotel and his wife, Emilie, had always dreamed of having a cafe. The two dreams merged into one and took the form of this pretty hotel in Spiez.

Spiez

Nestled between rolling hills and vineyards, Spiez is a wonderful destination in Switzerland. There is a bold contrast between the turquoise blue Lake Thun, dotted with tropical palm trees and the snow-capped mountains that surround it. Spiez lies in a picturesque situation on the southern shore of the Thunersee, at the foot of the pyramid-shaped Niesen mountain. One of the main landmarks of Spiez is their castle which was only a short walk from our hotel.

The Brunch

The view and brunch are what the hotel is best known for. Indeed people from all around the region come to enjoy their delicious brunch.

With the current global pandemic, brunch is reserved exclusively for hotel guests like ourselves for the time being. For me, it was absolutely amazing to be able to have a coffee in the cafe again and enjoy a delicious brunch with a friend. Something I use to do on a weekly basis before the pandemic.

Their daily breakfast and brunch are all organic. We had their avocado and poached eggs with pancakes, cold cuts and an assortment of pastries. Their Italian coffee was excellent, in fact, the day we arrived they had just expanded their menu and added two new types of lattes: Curcuma and matcha. The cafe had a great range of options available and there were all the milk alternatives you could wish for (almond, oat, etc). I savored every bite of the scrumptious brunch. As an avid brunch fan myself, this aspect of the hotel was a huge plus for me and I truly enjoyed the experience.

The Hotel

The Hotel La Belle Vue has been recently renovated in an elegant Scandinavian-style. Their café strives to offer regional, homemade and modern cuisine. Whilst the view is just breathtaking. It overlooks the castle, lake Thun and the Swiss mountains. Our room had a lovely balcony so we could also sit outside and soak up the sunshine and enjoy the view.

It was wonderful to wake up to the fabulous view of a fairy-tale castle, the lovely lake and magnificent mountains. The staff and hotel owners were all wonderfully friendly and helpful. What’s more, we met with their in-house photographer Maja and made some fun hotel shots together. It was great fun and super girly, I really enjoyed this relaxing staycation in Spiez.

Photos by Maja Juzwiak

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Swiss Influencer Feature – January 2020

Swiss Influencer Features Anna Swiss Mermaid.

I am super happy to share this new feature with you.

The Swiss Influencer website is a community dedicated to Swiss content creators.

Read the full AnnaSwissMermaid feature here.

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Geneva Tourism Feature – December 2020

I am super excited and proud to share this project with you. I was selected to be part of the Geneva Insiders on the official Geneva Tourism website.

Read the full feature article for the Geneva Locals article here.

SWISS INFLUENCER ANNA SWISS MERMAID GENEVA TOURISM
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How to Shop for Luxury – A Millennial Guide

A Millennial Approach to Luxury

When it comes to sustainable fashion in luxury it has become more than a buzzword; it has become a conscious necessity. In particular for millennial and Generation Z consumers.

In fashion, there has been a paradigm shift linked directly to the fact that these generations are exposed to the internet and social networks. Making them aware of social and economic issues linked to the way we consume and wanting to take action. Millennials are mindful consumers. It’s no longer sufficient to use the best quality leather for your designer handbag. Millennial consumers want the product to be made of ethically sourced raw materials that respect fair trade and use sustainable production practices.

So how are millennials are transforming the luxury market? And more importantly: how can we stay chic and sustainable at the same time?

Digital natives with a conscious, millennials like myself care about what and how we consume. 14% of consumers from the ages 18 to 24 complete their first luxury purchase online. What is more, today although millennials only represent 32% of spending in the luxury market, come 2025, millennials are expected to make up 50% of the luxury market (FORBES, 2019). Meaning that we have a direct impact on the luxury market as future consumers with a substantial purchasing power. Luxury brands aware of this are upping their green game. Conscious that luxury sustainability will become synonymous with our way of consuming fashion.

“Sustainability will continue to advance in importance,” Sarah Willersdorf, partner and managing director at BCG and Global Head of Luxury explains. “It will feed both the secondary-luxury market as well as give a lift to limited-run collaborations which show a brand’s respect for not flooding the market with too much merchandise.”

Some luxury fashion brands such as Stella McCartney are already way ahead of the game. In 2018, Gucci also eradicated fur from their collections in an effort towards ethical manufacturing their creations.

Purchase decisions are shifting and the luxury landscape with it. For example 56% of true-luxury consumers are attuned to luxury brands’ stance on social responsibility. 62% choose to do business with a brand that supports sustainability over a brand that does not, compared with 50% in 2013. Interestingly, sustainable luxury consumers are primarily concerned with the environment (37%), animal care (27%) and ethical manufacturing (21%). Whilst millennials top priorities are on the environment (42%) and animal treatment (26%), versus Boomers whose primary concern is ethical manufacturing (32%). (FORBES, 2019)

The characteristics of millennial behavior are seeping into older generations— which accounted for 73% of luxury purchases in 2016. (Bain & Company)

The stigma of second-hand luxury fashion goods is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

“Second-hand luxury is rapidly becoming mainstream,” Willersdorf says. “And it is not just the lower price that attracts these true-luxury consumers. It is often the only way they can buy scarce, limited-edition, special sold-out collaborations missed the first time or vintage items.”

Breathing a second life into your wardrobe – traditionally considered less impressive than getting a new shiny item – is now the cool thing to do. Lending, renting and buying clothes second hand luxury goods is an eco-friendly trend in 2020 that is here to stay.

Unsurprisingly handbags make up 40% of all pre-owned purchases. The most popular and purchased pre-owned brands are the big players such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior. With Vestiaire Collective at the forefront (BCG, 2019). I can honestly say that my first purchase was indeed a pre-loved Balenciaga City Bag bought with my first paycheck. The reasons for this? Firstly, it was a classic in Balenciaga’s permanent collection and bound to stay in style for years to come. Second, I happened to have spotted the exact same petrol blue bag on the arm of my favorite fashion blogger Chiara Ferrangi. And lastly, it was a little treat from me to me without breaking the bank but still investing in a quality, luxury item that I still have, wear and love. Timeless style, the product’s qualify and prestige are all key factors Millennials take into account when purchasing a luxury good such as a handbag.

Moreover, Millennials (myself included) are known to spend time, endlessly exploring and comparing their retail options, both online and in-store. My favorite luxury resale websites include The RealReal, Ruelala and of course Vestiare Collective. Also if you are looking for a hard go find piece Lyst is amazing. Whilst Swiss equivalents include LuxuryLove and Reawake in Zurich and Vintage Garderobe and Downtown Uptown in Geneva.